Hailing from Toronto, Neilson was immersed in music from an early age, performing with parents Ron and Betty and brothers Todd and Jay in The Neilsons.
The family band was a full-time affair, travelling throughout Canada and the United States.
When their parents scaled back their musical commitments, the siblings continued as a trio until one brother married and the other went solo.
Tami, meanwhile, met a New Zealand man and relocated to his home country.
Neilson has continued to travel between New Zealand and Nashville, where she recorded a collection of songs with help from Jay, who co-produced Red Dirt Angel, released last month.
He also contributed and played bass, ukulele, guitar and backing vocals.
Jay has flown from Canada to accompany Neilson on a national tour that will feature acoustic, harmony-infused songs.
The tour: Tami and Jay Neilson play the following dates in the South: Tonight, Cinema Paradiso, Wanaka; tomorrow, Revolver, Queenstown; Monday, Backstage, Dunedin; Tuesday,The Old Post, Gore; Wednesday, Tillerman's, Invercargill.
